July
20 - First stage for man and country, Astana &
Vino back on track, Hincapie comments on Astana move, Evans hones in on TT,
No chasse-patate for Millar, Stage 11 post-race quotes, Schleck owes
one to Arvesen

July 18
- Demol Disco boys on the attack, Soler solos to special win, Riders reflect
on a memorable day, O'Grady on his accident, Carlström keeping a low profile,
Quickstep's Barredo waiting for Spanish run, Penalties all around

July
15 - Seven a lucky number for T-Mobile, Valverde
wants to drop Vino, Popovych has freedom, How the Australians fared, More
Tour reactions, Bottom drops out for Freire, Nuyens making it through Tour

Stage 2 of the 2007 Tour de France started in Dunkerque on the northern coast
of France after a short transfer across the English Channel (which can also
be made via ferry from the picturesque white cliffs of Dover). With the prologue
now but a distant memory, teams were now fully focused on claiming stage wins
during the flat first week.

The day's forecast called for rain, but that didn't keep Cofidis riders Staf
Scheirlinckx and Stéphane Auge from setting off equipped with the latest generation
of Campagnolo's electronic group. Although rarely seen or spoken of, the group's
development has been far from secret; we first spotted it in
2003 at E3 PrijsVlaanderen and Campagnolo has openly admitted that it has
been a work in progress since around 1994. Increasingly
refined versions have been periodically seen since then, but this latest
iteration is decidedly more polished, suggesting that it might not too far off
from production.

Campagnolo had previously stated that fitting the system's required battery
in a suitably elegant fashion was among the most difficult challenges the company
faced. Earlier versions incorporated a small battery 'stick' located on the
seat tube near the front derailleur, but this latest iteration integrates the
power source into a proprietary carbon fiber bottle cage.

This version is arguably cleaner-looking than before but is noticeably bulkier
than the 'stick'. The larger size format and the peculiar inclusion of a 12-pin
connector on the side, however, suggest that Campagnolo may have also included
some additional electronics into the package for programming or customization
capabilities (a simpler and smaller 2-pin or coaxial connector could have been
used if it were just for charging purposes).

Speaking of electronics, Campagnolo may have developed an analogous Ergobrain
for use with the new system as wires originating from the shifters clearly fed
into a previously-unseen computer head. Interestingly, there were no traditional
buttons to be found on the unit's exterior. Instead, a multi-directional 'joystick'
on the unit's face appeared to control all functions and was paired to a large
LCD panel (sorry, there was nothing on display to show when we shot the images
and Cofidis mechanics were not too keen on us tinkering with team bikes just
prior to the start).

The updated front derailleur is somewhat tidier than before as well, but other
components appear largely identical to what we've seen before. The electronic
Ergopower levers still bear striking resemblance to their mechanical brethren
and there were no changes to the rear derailleur that we could see (the design
has been rather stable for the past several years as far as we can tell). Naturally,
other non-affected components such as the crankset and brake calipers were standard-issue
Record items.

The rain also didn't keep Gerolsteiner's Ronny Scholz from continuing to evaluate
his electronic Shimano Dura-Ace group which looks to have received no changes
since we took a look at it at this year's Critérium
du Dauphiné Libéré. Scholz is obviously keen to the system these days (or
at least used to it): not only did he race on it today, but his spare was so-equipped
as well.

Shimano's
prototype carbon fiber crankset also made another appearance, but not on
the bike of Gerolsteiner rider Stefan Schumacher as we saw in this year's Tour
de Suisse. We spotted three riders using it for Stage 2: Schumacher's Gerolsteiner
teammates Bernhard Kohl and Markus Fothen, and Michael Boogerd of Rabobank.

It's clear now that Shimano has borrowed the updated Hollowtech II arm attachment
from M970 XTR for this new crankset, but the bearing adjustment ring now bears
a simple knurled pattern for easier hand operation. Unfortunately, though, we
still have no word on whether or not the arms are hollow (although we'd bet
they are), how much it weighs, or if it's even slated for production, but we'll
continue to feed you information as we get it.